Jezebel: body hair

Dudes: Cut The Crap, Cut Your Ball Hair

Tracie — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

I never get that offended by guys who have pube preferences for the women they date — unless they are militant about bald vaginas — because I understand the dislike of a mouthful of long, coarse hair. And that's why I recently told my man that he needed to do something about that giant, overgrown mass between his legs that looked more like the front yard of Grey Gardens than a crotch. There are a ton of gender double standards that drive me up a wall, but the widespread social acceptance of unruly, unmaintained male pubes is something we can easily change with one simple sentence:

"I would lick and suck on your balls if you trimmed them."

That's what I told my boyfriend. He was definitely into the idea of getting his balls licked, but I could tell that he was less enthused about taking something sharp to the region of his body he holds most near and dear. But luckily for him, I'd already invested in mini Norelco electric clippers set for my own pubes—a painless, controlled system of hair removal—that I offered for his use. Besides, I didn't want him to get completely bald down there, because it would look weird and gay porno-y.

But he didn't know how to use the clippers, or at least pretended not to know how so that I would do it for him. Which I gladly did. And which he treated as foreplay. I have to say that giving him head is a lot more enjoyable now that I don't get finger-length hairs caught in the back of my throat. And I think that now he's getting his balls licked on a more frequent basis, he would agree with our results. See, social change can be fun for everyone!

Paying Someone To Cut You Is Growing In Popularity

Dodai — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

The economy may be in the crapper, but Americans know what's really important: Looking good! Science Daily reports that plastic surgery procedures will quadruple by the year 2015. They're predicting that cosmetic surgery will weather the current decline, and that in 7 years, 55 million surgeries will be performed annually. "While today's economy reflects a slow-down in plastic surgery procedures, the specialty will weather the current decline in economic growth just as it has previous declines, such as the stock market correction after the 2001 Internet bubble," says American Society Of Plastic Surgeons prez Dr. Richard D'Amico. "This prediction for 2015 is exciting." Definitely! Americans already spend $13.2 billion, more than the GDP of Bolivia, on cosmetic surgery, so quadrupling that number to $52.8 means more cash for doctors. Eh, you're thinking, I'm not shallow like that, I've got priorities. Guess what?

A new survey says that American women spend between $10,000 and $23,000 in their lifetime… on hair removal. Yes ladies, from puberty to death, we deal with getting rid of body hair — by shaving, waxing and creams — for about 53.6 years of our lives. We spend a cumulative amount of 58 days in our lifetime just removing hair. Maybe you're just not one of those women who feels comfortable having hairy pits. Or hairy legs. Or retrobush. But do you ever think about why? Is it same reason some women get plastic surgery? Because they want to be a "better" version of themselves, because they think Mother Nature somehow delivered a less than perfect product? And where did we get that idea?

Cosmetic Surgery Procedures To Exceed 55 Million In 2015, Study Predicts [Science Daily]
Women Spend Up To $23,000 To Remove Hair [UPI]

Earlier: Hairy Pits: Appealing Or Appalling?
Plastic Surgery: Where Do You Draw The Line Between Deformity And Vanity?

Do You Shave Your Legs Before Hitting The Stirrups?

Jennifer — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:20:00 EST

Last week I went to the gynecologist. The second I arranged myself in the stirrups I had a startling realization: I hadn't shaved my legs in more than a week. Question is: Is this uncouth? Is there etiquette about such things? Was my lady-parts doctor insulted that I hadn't even bothered to take a shower for him, yet alone smooth my gams? Or was were my unshaven legs some sort of subconscious gesture of emancipation, i.e., I do not shave, therefore I am? Was it worth even wasting mental energy on? Hell, why not? I decided to poll my girlfriends to get the lowdown.

One friend, who works in advertising, says she makes a point not to shave for the gynecologist ("I don't want to send anyone the wrong message!"), but she seems to be in the minority. All my other girlfriends, however, whip out the razor before changing into the robe. [Robe? You mean that cold, itchy paper shit? -Ed.] Another friend, a working mom, sayas she never steps foot into the doc's office without running a razor over her legs and her "down there." "It's not about trying to impress anyone," she explains, "It's just a hygiene/ease thing. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make sure my doctor can get the best look possible of what's going on down there." Adds a friend who works in fundraising: "Yes, I do. But not for the physical therapist, who massages my inner knee." Hmm!

Another friend, a writer, says she doesn't make a point of shaving, although it has nothing to do with women's lib and everything to do with, well, the pretty: "I shave my legs for the bikini waxer but not necessarily the gyno. I guess i figure that she's there for health reasons while the waxer is for aesthetics so i want to impress her more?" Says a lawyer: "I shave everything for the gyno. She's my favorite doctor and if I can make her job (which I would NEVER want) a little better, I think that's nice. If you shave for a boy who tells you you're pretty, don't you owe at least that to a woman who tells you that you don't have chlamydia?" Lastly, a smarty-pants grad student mused with following: "Since I'm not going to get waxed for the gynecologist, I figure shaving my legs is the least i can do. Like tipping the mailman. You can't make the job of delivering mail on icy Boston streets less shitty, but you can at least make a small gesture."

Hairy Pits: Appealing Or Appalling?

Dodai — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:00:00 EDT

Hair is steeped in symbolism and layered with subtext and meaning, especially for women. Our tresses speak volumes, suggesting to the world that we're wild, refined, high-maintenance or lazy. Hair can reveal our age and our ethnicity. And that's just the hair on our heads. For one woman, Laura Woodhouse (left), who posted today on UK feminist site The F Word, hair has become a reason to celebrate. One year ago today, Laura stopped shaving her armpits. (It's been 14 months since she last shaved her legs.) Woodhouse had some hair paranoia (hairanoia?) in the past. "I spent at least two hours defuzzing before visiting my boyfriend, and then spent the majority of the naked time we spent together worrying whether my bikini line was symmetrical, wincing where I'd irritated a bit of delicate skin with that nasty smelling hair removal cream," she writes. "I thought I was gross."

Then, last year, Woodhouse decided to "take the plunge" and stop shaving. It helps, we think, that she moved to Paris. It was difficult at first, Woodhouse claims. She thought her hairy pits were disgusting and couldn't look in the mirror.

But I chucked my razor away and persevered, wearing sleeveless tops on nights out and forcing myself to dance with my arms in the air. I got some funny looks, which amused me more than anything else, and eventually I grew to love my hairy armpits. I grew to love myself, to accept my grown woman's body and, more than anything, to love the freedom I discovered when I no longer had to waste time and money preparing my supposedly unacceptable body for the outside world.

Intellectually, we know she's right. Why should we be ashamed of all of the hair — armpits, legs, bikini area — that is a natural part of being a grown-up? Only kids and Barbie dolls have smooth, hairless skin. But are we brave enough to wear a sleeveless top without shaving? Not. A. Chance.

Hairy Anniversary [The F Word]